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Black Habit

MIEN

2018

Black Habit

Release Date:  2018

By Pitchfork

Reviewed January 31, 2018

Darkness is nothing new for MIEN

Darkness is nothing new for MIEN, whose members include the Black Angels singer Alex Maas, the Horrors’ Tom Furse, and the Earlies’ John-Mark Lapam—their resumes span psychedelia, gothic industrial, and prog rock. “Black Habit,” the band’s first single from their forthcoming self-titled album, folds these genres into an unusual arrangement topped with unmistakably grim lyrics.

“Black Habit” is a fairly straightforward psych jam distorted with nuance and texture, built on a buzzing bassline and accented with laser beam synths, chirping guitar fragments, and hypnotic use of delay pedals. Maas’ vocals feel similarly disoriented; at first monotone and assertive, they eventually splinter into frenzied breaths and layered, reverb-heavy hums. Through all the effects, one warning rings clear: “All you need is one taste than you die,” Maas growls. Despite all of the genres that inform “Black Habit,” the result is a multifaceted psych spree that exceeds the sum of its dark influences.

7:00 PM · Jan 31, 2018